Abstract
The majority of bird taxa perform water bathing, but little is known about the adaptive value of this behaviour. If bathing is important for feather maintenance then birds that have not bathed should have poorer feather condition, compromised escape ability and therefore increased responsiveness to cues of predation. We conducted two experiments examining the behaviour of captive starlings responding to conspecific alarm calls. Birds that had no access to bathing water showed a decreased willingness to feed and increased their vigilance behaviour following an alarm call. We argue that birds denied access to bathing water interpreted an ambiguous cue of threat as requiring more caution than birds that had access, consistent with higher levels of anxiety. Our results support the provision of bathing water for captive birds as an important welfare measure.
DOI
10.1098/rsbl.2011.1200
Publication Date
2012-06-23
Publication Title
Biology Letters
Volume
8
Issue
3
Publisher
The Royal Society
ISSN
1744-957X
Embargo Period
2024-11-22
First Page
379
Last Page
381
Recommended Citation
Brilot, B., & Bateson, M. (2012) 'Water bathing alters threat perception in starlings', Biology Letters, 8(3), pp. 379-381. The Royal Society: Available at: https://doi.org/10.1098/rsbl.2011.1200
